47 



4. 0. roibusta, Wendl. — This variable species, 

 with large rounded grey joints and purplish-red 

 fruits, was met with occasionally in a few locali- 

 ties in the south-west of Spain — e.fl., Jerez, 

 Seville, Cordova. It does not appear to have 

 spread to any extent. 



5. 0. spinulifera, S.D. — There was seen near 

 Seville and Jerez, in Spain, a species of pear 

 identical with that met with by us at a few spots 

 in Capetown and near Fort Beaufort in Cape 

 Colony. This Opuntia, which is related to the 

 Westwood pear of Queensland, appears to have 

 a quite local distribution and is not at all abun- 

 dant. 



6. 0. nana, Vis. This low-growing species, 

 possessing small rounded transversely wrinkled 

 joints, thrives under colder conditions of climate 

 than any of the other Opuntias met with ia this 

 region. It is known under various names, Schu- 

 mann (1899, p. 714) calling it 0. vulgaris, 

 MiU., and quoting amongst its synonyms, Cactus 

 opuntia, Linn., 0. italica, Tinore, and 0. opuntia, 

 Coulter. This author regards 0. nana, Visiani, 

 as being merely a variety of 0. vulgaris. If this 

 species is the same as that described by Linnseus 

 — and of that there can be little or no doubt — 

 then the correct name is 0. opuntia as stated by 

 Coulter. Linnaeus (1753, p. 468) referred to 

 the occurrence of his 0. opuntia in Spain and 

 Portugal, while Miller (1768) mentioned its pres- 

 ence (as 0. vulgaris) along roadsides in Spain, 

 Italy, and Sicily. Visiani named specimens from 

 Dalmatia as 0. nana. Tinore called it 0. italica, 

 using the name vulgaris for a very different 

 plant, viz., 0. ficus4ndica. It is figured by Dr. 

 A. Fiori (1896-8, plates fig. 1066). Eisso (1844, 

 p. 295) recorded two varietal forms of it, 0. 

 parvi flora and 0. latifolia. 



Schumann (1899 a, pp. 29, 34; 1899, p. 

 715) stated that this species had run wild in 

 Central Europe, more particularly at Bozen in 

 the Tyrol and in parts of Switzerland as well as 

 in Dalmatia, its native home being the eastern 

 portion of the United States of America, from 

 Massachusetts to Georgia and Florida. Mr. A. 

 Purpus, of Darmstadt, informed us that this 

 prickly-pear is to be found commonly in Tessine, 

 Switzerland. Burkill (p. 289) has referred to the 

 apparent occurrence of this species in Spain, 

 quoting Boissier (1839) as his authority. 



7. 0. dillenii, Haw. — This West Indian 

 species, which has been already referred to in 

 this report as being naturalised in Ceylon, India, 

 and the Canary Islands, is known to occur along 

 the Mediterranean coasts of France, Italy, and 

 Sicily (Burkill, p. 288). In 1872 Insenga men- 

 tioned its presence in the maritime regions of 

 Messina, Catania, and Syracuse, in Sicily. 



The Commission found it growing quite 

 commonly on the low-lying country in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Algeciras, Cadiz, Jerez, and the 

 mouth of the Guadalquivir River, in South- 

 western Spain; in Calabria, in Southern Italy; 

 in isolated spots from Messina to Palermo in 

 Sicily ; and at Beirut, Syria. 



8. 0. inermis, DC. — This species is closely 

 related to the pest pear of Queensland and New 

 South Wales, and resembles ia some ways the 

 species which is now so widely spread in the 

 Punjab, India, and has been referred to already 

 as the " Punjab Pear." Its presence in a natu- 

 ralised state in South France, Catalonia (North- 



east Spain) and the Balearic Islands has been 

 recorded by Schumann (1899 a, p. 30; 1899, p. 

 718). Some of his material from the last-named 

 locality was seen in the herbarium of the Berlin 

 Botanic Gardens. This author has iacluded 

 amongst its synonyms 0. stricta, Haw., a form 

 cultivated ia Europe* ; 0. acrampo, Mill., a Peru- 

 vian species; and 0. vulgaris, var. ialearica, 

 Weber. The habitat was unknown to him though 

 he had seen dried specimens from the West 

 Indies. Tussac believed that Haiti was its native 

 home. 



The species differs from the common pest 

 pear of Queensland and New South Wales in 

 several particulars, as has been already stated by 

 Mr. J. H. Maiden (1912, p. 716). The latter 

 plant has a more shrubby habit, while its joints 

 are larger, relatively thinner, and of a much 

 lighter green colour. 



Though not uncommonly met with as a gar- 

 den plant and occasionally growing wild in parts 

 of Europe, it has not spread in such a way as 

 to constitute a pest as its relative has done in 

 Australia. 



9. The common Barbary Fig, 0. ficus- 

 indica, L. — This species is very widely spread 

 around the Mediterranean littoral, where it is 

 known generally as the Barbary Fig or Indian 

 Fig (figue de Barbaric; fieo di India). In Spaia 

 it is usually called the " Tuna eastiliana," 

 " Tuna malagana, "t or " Higo chumbo," while 

 Arabs often call it "Al hindi." In Sicily it is 

 also known as " Fico d 'India mansa," i.e., the 

 domesticated Indian Fig. The scientific name 

 commonly applied to it is 0. decumana (see Bur- 

 kill, 1911), though the names 0. vulgaris and 0. 

 ficus-indica are also frequently used. 



It is almost spineless and resembles the 

 Kaalblad ( 10. decumana. Haw.) of South Africa 

 in many ways. An obvious difference is in the 

 form of the joints, which in the former are 

 practically symmetrical and relatively wide, 

 while in the Kaalblad they nearly always have 

 one side less curved than the other, so that their 

 shape is almiost broadly lanceolate. Then again 

 the flowers of the Barbary Fig are generally 

 yellow, orange-coloured flowers being the excep- 

 tion, whereas in the Kaalblad the reverse is the 

 case. 



Schumann (1899, p. 719) retains MiUer's 

 name 0. ficus-indica for the plant, and quotes as 

 synonyms Cactus ficus-indica, Linn., 0. vulgaris, 

 Tinore, and Cactus opuntia, Gussone. He also 

 mentions that Weber regards 0. decumana. 

 Haw., and certain other species as additional 

 synonyms. A distinct form, 0. amyclma, Tinore, 

 the spiny Barbary Fig, has been regarded by 

 many authors as being merely a variety of the 

 above Opuntia {e.g., Berger, 1903, p. 93). Bur- 

 kill (p. 288) uses the name 0. decumana in pre- 

 ference to 0. ficus-indica, Liim., on account of 

 the confusion regarding the identiflcation of the 

 plant named by Linnasus. Mr. Berger (1912) 

 has recently proposed a new name, 0. ficus-iar- 

 harica, for the same reason. 



* 0. stricta. Haw., is a different plant whose native 

 home is probably in the southern half of South America. 

 It closely resembles, and is, perhaps, identical with O. 

 anacantha, Speg., of North-eastern Argentina, and is 

 apparently the same as the " Punjab Pear." O. acrampo 

 {i.e. O. airampo) is distinct from either 0. stricta or O. 

 inermis. 



t The term " ohumbera " appears to be used in Spain 

 for either of the " Indian figs." 



